FILM LIFE - OR, HOW FILM CAN CHANGE OUR WORLD

Film as inspirationFilm as a celebration of the human-spirit Film as a window to the soulFilm as a reflection of the human-conditionFilm as documentFilm as voice

"By showing hunger, deprivation, starvation and brutality, as well as endurance and nobility, documentaries inform, prod our memories, even stir us to action. Such films do battle for our very soul."- Theodore Bikel

Documentary film not only plays a major role in informing, educating, and raising awareness to issues that affect us all on a global level but, documentaries also have the ability to profoundly affect us on an emotional level. I believe this emotional connection is an essential component when viewed in conjunction with an objective analysis of all the facts and data that relate to a particular topic, subject, or event. A symbiotic & balanced relationship that can create, and propagate, the passion, empathy, and pragmatism essential to making a meaningful humanitarian contribution. It is in this regard that documentary films can prove invaluable in changing our world.

The purpose of this list is to try and inspire, raise awareness, document, and provide for a multilateral and progressive approach to it's subject-matter. Specifically from a global perspective. This is supported by various documentaries, related IMDb Watch Now Video Links (including relevant narrative-films & music-videos), Official Site Links, Amazon Book Links, and relevant external links that collectively address the universal connection between various facets of the human condition, man and nature, and the ongoing global issues that confront us all. This is supported by both; factual information and the views, statements or quotes from, among others; world leaders, philosophers, scientists, activists, artists, and the documentarians themselves.

*Please note: Though social and political issues are addressed, the content of this list is devoid of my personal opinion, and has neither a political nor religious agenda. Any conclusions regarding the issues or views expressed on this list (including those of the films and videos contained within) is left entirely to the individual's own analysis and interpretation.

Stephen R. Covey: "Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change."

Social Activism - how to articles from wikiHow: //www.wikihow.com/Category:Social-Activism.

How to Become an Activist (with pictures) - wikiHow: //www.wikihow.com/Become-an-Activist.

How to Become a 21st Century Social Activist - 11 Steps wikiHow: //www.wikihow.com/Become-a-21st-Century-Social-Activist.

Elie Wiesel: "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."

Ki-moon Ban: "Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all."

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External Links: Historical Timelines

This Day in History - What Happened Today - History.com://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.

Wikipedia Link: Timelines of World History - //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelines_of_world_history.

TimeMaps History Atlas: World History Map - //www.timemaps.com/history.

Steven Spielberg: "I think documentaries are the greatest way to educate an entire generation that doesn't often look back to learn anything about the history that provided a safe haven for so many of us today."

“ Murray Gell-Mann quote: For me, the study of these laws is inseparable from a love of Nature in all its manifestations."

Albert Einstein quote: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

"Every scientist who looks deeply into the universe and every mystic who looks deeply within the self, eventually comes face to face with the same thing: The Primordial Spiral."

"The true crisis in our world is not social, political or economic.Our crisis is a crisis of consciousness... an inability to directly experience our true nature... an inability to recognize that nature is in everyone and in all things."

“ Carl Sagan quote: "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff."

Edward Robert Harrison quote: "'By convention there is color, by convention sweetness, by convention bitterness, but in reality there are atoms and the void,' announced Democritus. The universe consists only of atoms and the void; all else is opinion and illusion. If the soul exists, it also consists of atoms."

Max Planck quote: "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter."

"It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."

"We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."

“ Brian Thomas Swimme - Host quote: "This story has the power to awaken us more deeply to who we are. For just as the Milky Way is the universe in the form of a flower, we are the universe in the form of a human. And every time we are drawn to look up in the night sky and reflect on the awesome beauty of the universe, we are actually the universe reflecting on itself. And this changes everything."

A users guide to the cosmos from the big bang to galaxies, stars, planets and moons. Where did it all come from and how does it all fit together. A primer for anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered. (60 mins.)

“ Michio Kaku quotes: "It is often stated that of all the theories proposed in this century, the silliest is the quantum theory. In fact, some say that the only thing that quantum theory has going for it is that it is unquestionably correct."

"Beyond work and love, I would add two other ingredients that give meaning to life. First, to fulfill whatever talents we are born with. However blessed we are by fate with different abilities and strengths, we should try to develop them to the fullest, rather than allow them to atrophy and decay. We all know individuals who did not fulfill the promise they showed in childhood. Many of them became haunted by the image of what they might have become. Instead of blaming fate, I think we should accept ourselves as we are and try to fulfill whatever dreams are within our capability.

Second, we should try to leave the world a better place than when we entered it. As individuals, we can make a difference, whether it is to probe the secrets of Nature, to clean up the environment and work for peace and social justice, or to nurture the inquisitive, vibrant spirit of the young by being a mentor and a guide."

"Physicists are made of atoms. A physicist is an attempt by an atom to understand itself."

“ David Kaplan quote: "Basic science for big breakthroughs needs to occur at a level where you're not asking 'What is the economic gain?' You're asking 'What do we not know, and where can we make progress?'"

“ Michael B. Green quotes: "Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding..."

"The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers."

"According to inflation, the more than 100 billion galaxies, sparkling throughout space like heavenly diamonds, are nothing but quantum mechanics writ large across the sky. To me, this realization is one of the greatest wonders of the modern scientific age."

Rhythms of the Universe is a multi-sensory exploration of the universe, a poetic and scientific celebration of humankind's yearning to understand the cosmos, created by musician Mickey Hart and cosmologist George Smoot. (22 mins.)

“ Joseph Gordon-Levitt quote: "The spiral in a snail's shell is the same mathematically as the spiral in the Milky Way galaxy, and it's also the same mathematically as the spirals in our DNA. It's the same ratio that you'll find in very basic music that transcends cultures all over the world."

“ Carl Sagan quote: "At the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes - an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense." ” - Dr-Faustus

“ Guillermo Gonzalez quote: "There's no obvious reason to assume that the very same rare properties that allow for our existence would also provide the best overall setting to make discoveries about the world around us. We don't think this is merely coincidental. It cries out for another explanation, an explanation that... points to purpose and intelligent design in the cosmos."

“ Joel Achenbach quote: "The fact is that there is no conclusive evidence of any life beyond Earth. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, as various pundits have wisely noted. But we still don't have any solid knowledge about a single alien microbe, a solitary spore, much less the hubcap from a passing alien starship."

Established singer-songwriters and acclaimed newcomers perform country, blues, rock, folk, bluegrass, and related styles of music from Studio 6A of public television station KLRU (formerly KLRN) at the University of Texas at Austin. (60 mins.)

"You can look to the stars in search of the answersLook for God and life on distant planetsHave your faith in the ever afterWhile each of us holds inside the map to the labyrinthAnd heaven's here on earth

We are the spirit the collective conscienceWe create the pain and the suffering and the beauty in this world

Heaven's here on earthIn our faith in humankindIn our respect for what is earthlyIn our unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguiseOf ordinary people leading ordinary livesFilled with love, compassion, forgiveness and sacrifice

Heaven's in our heartsIn our faith in humankindIn our respect for what is earthlyIn our unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding

Look aroundBelieve in what you seeThe kingdom is at handThe promised land is at your feetWe can and will become what we aspire to be

If heaven's here on earthIf we have faith in humankindAnd respect for what is earthlyAnd an unfaltering belief that truth is divinityAnd heaven's here on earth

I've seen spiritsI've met angelsTouched creations beautiful and wondrousI've been places where I question all I think I knowBut I believe, I believe, I believe this could be heavenWe are born inside the gates with the power to create lifeAnd to take it awayThe world is our templeThe world is our churchHeaven's here on earth

If we have faith in humankindAnd respect for what is earthlyAnd an unfaltering beliefIn peace and love and understandingThis could be heaven here on earth."

“ Tahereh Mafi quote: "The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human."

"I don't believe in failure, because simply by saying you've failed, you've admitted you attempted. And anyone who attempts is not a failure. Those who truly fail in my eyes are the ones who never try at all. The ones who sit on the couch and whine and moan and wait for the world to change for them."

Related Link: Moon - Wikipedia: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon.

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Moon Facts

*The moon is not a planet, but a satellite of Earth.*The surface area of the moon is 14,658,000 square miles or 9.4 billion acres.*Only 59% of the moon's surface is visible from Earth.*The moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the Earth's rotation of 1000 miles per hour.*When a month has two full moons, the second full moon is called a blue moon. Another definition of a blue moon is the third full moon in any season (quarter of year) containing 4 total full moons.*From Earth, we always see the same side of the moon; the other side is always hidden.*The dark spots we see on the moon that create the image of the man in the moon are actually craters filled with basalt, which is a very dense material.*The moon is the only extraterrestrial body that has ever been visited by humans.*The first space craft to send back pictures from the moon was Luna 3 (built by the Soviet Union) in October 1959.*The moon has no global magnetic field.*The moon's diameter is about 1/4 the diameter of the Earth. About 49 moons would fit inside the Earth.

Arthur C. Clarke quote: "I'm sure we would not have had men on the Moon if it had not been for Wells and Verne and the people who write about this and made people think about it."

Thomas Merton quote: "What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous."

“ Buzz Aldrin quote: "I think humans will reach Mars, and I would like to see it happen in my lifetime."

"There's a need for accepting responsibility - for a person's life and making choices that are not just ones for immediate short-term comfort. You need to make an investment, and the investment is in health and education."

“ Jennifer Granholm quote: How fantastic that the American ingenuity of NASA scientists got us to Mars. It makes me proud to be an American. I can't get enough of these images from when the probe touched down. These scientists are American heroes."

Rachael Ray quote: "NASA asked me to create meals for the space shuttle. Thai chicken was the favorite. I flew in a fake space shuttle, but I have no desire to go into space after seeing the toilet."

Visionary rocket scientist, Robert Zubrin, has a plan for getting humans to Mars in the next ten years and ultimately turning the Red Planet blue. But can he win over the skeptics at NASA and the wider world? (84 mins.)

“ James Cameron quote: "This film captures the spirit of Mars pioneers who refuse to let their dreams be put on hold by a slumbering space program. Their passionate urge to walk the soil of an alien world is infectious and inspirational. This film is the manifesto of the new space revolution."

“ Neil deGrasse Tyson quote: "Robots are important also. If I don my pure-scientist hat, I would say just send robots; I'll stay down here and get the data. But nobody's ever given a parade for a robot. Nobody's ever named a high school after a robot. So when I don my public-educator hat, I have to recognize the elements of exploration that excite people. It's not only the discoveries and the beautiful photos that come down from the heavens; it's the vicarious participation in discovery itself."

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Related topic: The Voyager Space Probes, the Golden Record, and Bulgaria's Most Cherished Folk Song

It is one of humankind's greatest achievements. More than 12 billion miles away a tiny spaceship is leaving our Solar System and entering the void of deep space - the first human-made object ever to do so. (121 mins.)

Narrator: "Our world - a magnificent blue planet, dotted with gossamer clouds and gleaming in the brilliant flood of sunlight - is changing. From space, the Earth blazes at night with the electric intensity of human expansion across the globe. But it is within our power to protect the planet. While we continue to explore and gain knowledge of our galaxy, we also develop a deeper connection to the place we call home."

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Earth Facts

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the terrestrial planets. The Earth is the only planet in our solar system not to be named after a Greek or Roman deity. The Earth was formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago and is the only known planet to support life.

“ Nova Program Description: "'Earth from Space' is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. Produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, NOVA takes data from earth-observing satellites and transforms it into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate and surprising web of forces that sustains life on earth. Viewers witness how dust blown from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon; how a vast submarine 'waterfall' off Antarctica helps drive ocean currents around the world; and how the Sun's heating up of the southern Atlantic gives birth to a colossally powerful hurricane. From the microscopic world of water molecules vaporizing over the ocean to the magnetic field that is bigger than Earth itself, the show reveals the astonishing beauty and complexity of our dynamic planet."

“ Narrator quote: "But we still live in a world driven by natural forces which we cannot control, and which are indifferent to our needs. We live on a restless planet. We are only just beginning to understand the awesome power."

“ Iain Stewart quote: "What is truly scary about climate change is not any of the specific scenarios of rising seas or melting ice, but the sense that our planet's climate exists on a knife-edge balance and we really don't understand what pushes us over the edge, which makes our great chemistry experiment with the world's oceans and atmosphere all the more near-sighted."

External Link: Read the Draft of the Climate Change Report - The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/climate/document-Draft-of-the-Climate-Science-Special-Report.html.

* Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health - clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.*Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.*The direct damage costs to health (i.e. excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation), is estimated to be between US$ 2-4 billion/year by 2030.*Areas with weak health infrastructure - mostly in developing countries - will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.*Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy-use choices can result in improved health, particularly through reduced air pollution.

Full Article Link: //www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs266/en/.

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Air Pollution

Study: Air pollution causes 200,000 early deaths each year in the U.S.

25 MARCH 2014 | GENEVA - In new estimates released today, WHO reports that in 2012 around 7 million people died - one in eight of total global deaths - as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now the world's largest single environmental risk.Reducing air pollution could save millions of lives.

“ Iain Stewart quote: "The 21st century is like a golden age for geologists. We live in a age where we can see geological processes going on in front of our eyes. We're probably the first generation of geologists to be able to do that, and that's for two reasons. One, we have instruments with such precision we can measure things in great detail, and satellites that can tell us of millimeters of movement within decades. And on the other hand, we are driving change so fast that we can see it happening before our eyes - in terms of changes in land use and in the chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere, as well as the fact that humans move more matter artificially than all of the erosion processes do, with bulldozers, digging and mining, etc."

“ The four elements quotes: "In ancient times, considerable note was made of understanding the elements, for these were considered the building bricks of the Universe, and hence many believed that these were also part of the basic structure of themselves."

"Every day we warm ourselves by Fire,Wash ourselves in Water,Feel the Wind in our hair,Walk upon the Earth."

"Life is a song - sing it.Life is a game - play it.Life is a challenge - meet it.Life is a dream - realize it.Life is a sacrifice - offer it.Life is love - enjoy it."

David Attenborough quote: "Our planet may be home to 30 million different kinds of animals and plants. Each individual locked in it's own life-long fight for survival. Everywhere you look, on land or in the ocean, there are extraordinary examples of the lengths living things go to to stay alive."

“ David Attenborough quote: "A hundred years ago, there were one and a half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. But even so, there are still places barely touched by humanity. This series will take you to the last wildernesses and show you the planet and it's wildlife as you have never seen them before."

“ Narrator quote: "Of all the planets in our universe, there is only one we know can support life. Just the right distance from it's sun, with a perfect climate, it's been called the lucky planet. All life on Earth is been built on chance and powered by the Sun, but the delicate balances of our world are faltering as the planet struggles to support our growing demands. This is the time to take stock of what we have, and what we stand to lose."

A feature-length documentary showing the changing world of nature, the sky, the sea, the sun, planets, insects and volcanic action. A story of nature's strange and intricate designs for survival and her many methods of perpetuating life. (70 mins.)

“ Charles Darwin quote: "In July (1837) opened first note-book on Transmutation of Species. Had been greatly struck from about the month of previous March on character of South American fossils, and species on Galapagos Archipelago. These facts (especially latter), origin of all my views."

The 5 x 60 minute programs cover the story of evolution, from the beginning of time to where we find ourselves today - the individual program titles being Seas Of Life, Land Grab, Airborne, Living Together and Human Life. (300 mins.)

“ David Attenborough quote: "Our planet, the Earth, is, as far as we know, unique in the universe. It contains life. Even in it's most barren stretches, there are animals. Around the equator, where those two essentials for life, sunshine and moisture, are most abundant, great forests grow. And here plants and animals proliferate in such numbers that we still have not even named all the different species. Here, animals and plants, insects and birds, mammals and man live together in intimate and complex communities, each dependent on one another. Two thirds of the surface of this unique planet are covered by water, and it was here indeed that life began. From the oceans, it has spread even to the summits of the highest mountains as animals and plants have responded to the changing face of the Earth."

“ John F. Kennedy quote: "I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it's an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefor, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came."

The animated documentary Proteus explores the nineteenth century's engagement with the undersea world through science, technology, painting, poetry and myth. The central figure of the film is biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, who found in the depths of the sea an ecstatic and visionary fusion of science and art. (97 mins.)

“ Henry David Thoreau quote: "The ocean is a wilderness reaching 'round the globe, wilder than a Bengal jungle, and fuller of monsters, washing the very wharves of our cities and the gardens of our sea-side residences."

“ David Attenborough quote: "Dwarfed by the vast expanse of the open ocean, the biggest animal that has ever lived on our planet. A blue whale, 30 meter long and weighing over 200 tonnes. It's far bigger than even the biggest dinosaur. It's tongue weighs as much as an elephant, it's heart is the size of a car and some of it's blood vessels are so wide you could swim down them. It's tail alone is the width of a small aircraft's wings. It's streamlining, close to perfection, enables it to cruise at 20 knots. It's one of the fastest animals in the sea. The ocean's largest inhabitant feeds almost exclusively on one of the smallest krill, a crustacean just a few centimeters long. Gathered in a shoal, krill stain the sea red. A single blue whale in a day can consume 40 million of them. Despite the enormous size of blue whales we know very little about them. Their migration routes are still a mystery and we have no idea where they go to breed. They are a dramatic reminder of how much we still have to learn about the ocean and the creatures that live there. Our planet is a blue planet."

The race to protect Earth's last untouched ocean, the Ross Sea Antarctica, from our insatiable appetite for fish. The film raises the simple ethical question: do we fish the last ocean or do we protect it? (88 mins.)

“ Quote from //lastocean.org: "Recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization statistics show that 80 percent of global fisheries are fully exploited, with only two percent left for development. We've run out of places to fish. We have the opportunity to learn from the past. By stopping further fishing in the Ross Sea we can preserve the last intact marine ecosystem on Earth."

Réunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean, is known for its volcanic, rainforested interior, offshore reefs, beaches and Creole culture. The active Piton de la Fournaise volcano, its most iconic landmark, rewards climbers with sweeping views from its rim. Piton des Neiges, a massive extinct volcano, and Réunion's 3 cirques (calderas), natural amphitheaters formed by collapsed volcanoes, are also climbing destinations.

Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world. (93 mins.)

“ Narrator quote: "Almost all of the great and largely unique variety of South Pacific wildlife is under threat from excessive and destructive fishing, hunting, harvesting and pollution. Worst of all are ecological threats, notably global warming, which causes rising sea levels as well as climatic changes including storms and floods. Conservational measures, such as reserves and replanting coral reefs, can make a difference."

“ Sylvia Earle quote: "If I could be born anywhere in time, it would be now. It would be now because this is the time as never before. That we understand what we didn't 50 years ago. If we wait another 50 years, opportunities we now have will be gone. This is the moment. Our decisions. Our actions will shape everything that follows."

James Cameron: "It's that thing that explorers love to do which is to just get as far away from humanity as they can, in a way ironically that puts you more in touch with your own humanity."

“ Rob Stewart quote: "Many of us are ignorant to the true severity of our situation. Historically, whenever our planet has reached a similar threshold, severe global change has always followed. Human-kind has never experienced a predicament as severe as the one we find ourselves in today. However, I strongly believe that with new territory comes great opportunity. Now it's a matter of deciding whether we'll accept that opportunity for the better or the worse."

“ Quote from //greatwhiteshark3d.com Steve McNicholas: "Our mission is to change people's attitudes toward the great white. It's not the menacing, evil predator it's made out to be. It's simply performing its crucial role at the top of the ocean's food chain. Great whites are not monsters any more than the polar bears or lions that we revere."

“ Quote from Wikipedia: "Predators may increase the biodiversity of communities by preventing a single species from becoming dominant. Such predators are known as keystone species and may have a profound influence on the balance of organisms in a particular ecosystem. Introduction or removal of this predator, or changes in its population density, can have drastic cascading effects on the equilibrium of many other populations in the ecosystem."

“ David Attenborough quote: "The savage, rocky shores of Christmas island, 200 miles south of Java, in the Indian Ocean. It's November, the moon is in it's third quarter, and the sun is just setting. And in a few hours from now, on this very shore, a thousand million lives will be launched."

“ Peter Steinhart quote: "Death is nature's way of making things continually interesting. Death is the possibility of change. Every individual gets its allotted lifespan, its chance to try something new on the world. But time is called and the molecules which make up leaf and limb, heart and eye are disassembled and redistributed to other tenants."

“ David Attenborough quote: "Midwinter, and the countryside is so still, it seems almost lifeless. But these trees and bushes and grasses around me are living organisms just like animals. And they have to face very much the same sort of problems as animals face throughout their lives if they're to survive. They have to fight one another, they have to compete for mates, they have to invade new territories. But the reason that we're seldom aware of these dramas is that plants of course live on a different time-scale."

"Ever since we arrived on this planet as a species, we've cut them down, dug them up, burnt them and poisoned them. Today we're doing so on a greater scale than ever. We destroy plants at our peril. Neither we nor any other animal can survive without them. The time has now come for us to cherish our green inheritance, not to pillage it - for without it, we will surely perish."

“ Quote from //pollinator.org. Facts from the NAS National Research Council Study: "About three-quarters of the more than 240,000 of the world's flowering plants rely on pollinators - insects, birds, bats, and other animals - to various degrees to carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for reproduction."

“ Synopsis quote: "Deep in the African savannah, in the heart of Banfora in south-east Burkina Faso, safe in their tower several meters high, the termites are at work. A short distance away, a column of terrible carnivorous driver ants get ready to attack... They will make the most of the fragile state of the termite mound to launch a genuine onslaught... A merciless war will rage..."

“ David Attenborough quote: "An eye from another world; a smell detector, investigating the path ahead. We don't often see a snail that way, and that's because we've only recently had the tiny lenses and electronic cameras that we need to explore this miniature world. But when we meet it's inhabitants face to face, we suddenly realise that their behaviour can be just as meaningful to us as the behaviour of many animals more our own size."

“ David Attenborough quote: "Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as primitive, dull and dimwitted. In fact, of course, they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate and very sophisticated."